EPA Adaptive Management Presentation July 2019

July 2019

Community Outreach Meeting

Bonita Peak Mining District

Adaptive Management Pilot Program

~ EA~United States Environmental Protection Agency

~ -=:_ -,_:-_ -~

1

Meeting Objectives

◆ Provide an overview of Adaptive Management (AM)

◆ Present and discuss the AM Site Management Plan (SMP)

◆ Discuss how the AM SMP will be developed and how it

will be used.

◆ Discuss how stakeholders may be informed throughout

process.

◆ Solicit questions and feedback

~ United States Environmental Protection Agency

2

Presentation Outline

◆ Meeting Objectives

◆ Adaptive Management Primer

◆ Overview and Role of SMP

◆ Next Steps

◆ Q&A Session


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ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PRIMER


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Adaptive Management Primer

◆ So What is AM?:

▪ Variously defined and discussed.

▪ Incorporated into natural resources management in 1970s.

▪ EPA STF definition: “…formal and systematic site or project

management approach centered on rigorous site planning and

a firm understanding of site conditions and uncertainties.”

▪ Rooted in sound use of science and technology

▪ Encourages continuous re-evaluation and prioritization of

activities to account for new information or changing

conditions.


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◆ What AM is not:

▪ Trial and Error.

▪ An end in itself.

▪ A silver bullet.

▪ One sized fits all.

▪ Make it up as we go.“adaptive management is a very powerful, yet

poorly understood natural resource management

tool…but (it) must be understood by those who

use, support, fund, and challenge it.”

-Van Cleve et al. 2003


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◆AM Elements

▪ Define Site/Project Objectives

▪ Model(s) the site being managed

▪ Identify potential actions

▪ Monitor and evaluate outcomes

▪ Incorporate learning into future decisions

▪ Stakeholder participation

Plan

Do

Evaluate & Learn

Adjust


i

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◆ Issues Common to Complex Sites

▪ Competing views of site priorities and site understanding

▪ No clear plan for managing uncertainty

▪ Lack of structured and documented decision-making

▪ Linear project management mentality

▪ Contracting and funding challenges to facilitate innovative and dynamic decision making


RI ..... FS ..... RD ..... RA ..... O&M

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◆Superfund AM Site Level Applications

▪ Best applied early in the Superfund site characterization and remediation process

▪ Encourages early stakeholder engagement for high-level site strategy and approach

▪ Consider how early or interim response actions may be implemented throughout the site-wide RI/FS

▪ Captures stakeholder priorities to inform a transparent and structured decision-making process


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◆Structure Site-Level Decision-Making Will:

▪ Align resources to collect information critical to addressing key site uncertainties to support site strategy

▪ Identify how response action outcomes will be evaluated and inform future management decisions; and

▪ Ensure information supports CERCLA and NCP-consistent remedy decisions for all early, interim, or final response actions.

Assess Assess Optimize P erformance Performance , RI/FS ~ ,

RD/RA ~ ,

O&M ~ Identify Investigate Build Investigate A ssess Operate echnologies

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AM Pilot Program at BPMD

◆ AM Pilot program focuses on bringing Superfund AM application from “concept” to “reality” by developing and/or implementing AM Framework

◆ The Tool: AM Site Management Plan (SMP)


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OVERVIEW AND ROLE OF THE AM SMP


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Purpose of the AM SMP

◆ Plan Purpose: provide a formal process to achieve site goals and maintain forward progress, while documenting the decisions made along the way

▪ Transparent process

▪ Outline how documentation will be completed

▪ Provide schedule for periodic review/updates of goals and site strategy

▪ Document the process for prioritizing actions

▪ Provide methods for course adjustments based on evolving Site understanding (risk, technologies, effectiveness, stakeholder input, etc.)


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Bonita Peak AM SMP

◆ Establish and Document Guiding Principles

▪ Goals

▪ Site Strategy

◆ Adaptive Decision Making Process

▪ Stakeholder engagement on principles, strategy, and priorities

▪ EPA leads planning actions

▪ Project execution plans build on lessons learned

▪ Monitoring and assessment feeds into next steps

▪ Re-prioritization built into planning process after each remedial action is completed


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Guiding Principles

◆ EPA’s Goals (Status: Completed in 2019)

▪ Water Quality Improvements

▪ Stabilize Source Areas

▪ Minimize Unplanned Releases

◆ Site Strategy (Status: in development)

▪ Based on existing priorities at the Site

▪ Detailed strategy and objectives for next 10 years

▪ Higher level strategy and objectives for completion of the project


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BUNKER HILL EXAMPLE

◆ Project Overview

◆ Goals:

▪ Reduce risks to human health

▪ Control sources of contamination

▪ Reduce risks to wildlife and aquatic resources

▪ Promote long-term stewardship

◆ Site Strategy – focus for next 10 years

▪ Recreational sites: Target high-risk areas. Implement measures to reduce human health exposure.

▪ Wetlands: Seek opportunistic actions with low re-contamination potential. Implement 3-4 remedial actions and assess effectiveness

▪ Source control: Pilot test 2-3 source control measures.


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Bonita Peak Adaptive Decision Making

◆ Outline the tools and procedures for

▪ Decision making

▪ Documenting decisions

▪ Documenting lessons learned

▪ Incorporating knowledge into future actions

▪ Cadence for revisiting guiding principles

◆ List key stakeholders and detail engagement process

▪ Indicate when engagement will take place

▪ Indicate type of input engagement: informational vs consultation


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Example: Bunker Hill AM Decision Making

◆ Three broad action areas: Source Control, Human Health, and Wetlands

◆ Stakeholder input evaluated using a formal process for input and documentation

◆ EPA evaluates recommendations and selects actions for current cycle (~1-5 years)

◆ Actions documented in Project Execution Plans

◆ Implementation/Monitoring/Assessment of Projects

◆ Incorporate lessons learned into planning for next cycle

◆ Solicit and incorporate stakeholder input and prioritize actions using multi-objective decision analysis


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NEXT STEPS


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Next Steps

◆ Status for BPMD Pilot

▪ Federal and State Agency kickoff meeting to discuss BPMD AM SMP (completed June 2019)

▪ Complete draft of guiding principles (Planned completion date: August 2019) and share with stakeholders.

▪ Draft SMP anticipated in October 2019. To be shared with stakeholders.

▪ Incorporate feedback and complete of Final SMP in December 2019


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QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION


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THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING

AM Task Force Contacts:

Kate Garufi, Project Lead: [email protected]

Jim Woolford, Executive Sponsor: [email protected]

Leidos Contacts:

Matt Vest, Project Manager: [email protected]

Matt Machusick, Project Lead: [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]




EPA Adaptive Management Presentation July 2019

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